During our stay in China we were really looking forward to cycle through Yunnan and once again enjoy riding our bikes in a mountainous region, as it was already a long time ago since we have been in the mountains of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. 
We have already cycled a lot in different types of mountains but we have never been to an area full of terraced fields before.
On our way through the hills of Yunnan we stopped in the city of Dali in the Northern part of the province and spent a few days to relax in this sunny place located between a mountain range and the Erhai lake.
As usually we visited some markets to observe the locals selling and buying different goods, we stopped to have a chat here and there and to answer their questions about us, the bikes and our journey.
On one of the markets in Jinggu we have met Davis who invited us home to stay overnight. Since it was our first invitation in China we accepted it straight away, even though we still had a lot of kilometers in front of us to reach the border with Laos. In the evening we had the opportunity to attend a sport competition at his wife’s workplace where Mat had to pull a rope and proof his cyclist’s muscles.
To cycle in the surrounding of various terraces was great! Most of all we could see terraced fields of tea, but also some coffee plantations as well as crop fields.
On a cold and rainy day we luckily discovered that Chinese hotels can be quite cheap, that we can afford them and still keep our daily budget. Sleeping in a hotel also meant that we could safe at least two hours every day which we would usually need to find a decent camping spot, to put up the tent and pack everything together in the morning. It happened quite often, that we got a room with more than one bed (some times even with heated mattresses) and enough space for us and our bicycles for less than 3 Euro!
The more we cycled South the warmer it became and we felt that slowly we are leaving China and starting a new chapter of our journey. Arriving by bicycle in China was a milestone of our trip and to reach South East Asia will be a second big step for us with a lot of completely new places and cultures to discover.
After three months in big China it is now time for Laos…
One Response to “Through the hills of Yunnan”
Congrats folks and good to see you again! Your Yunnan is awsome – still remember rice terasses on the dawn. Probably one of the most original places in China we’ve been to. Take care in Laos and be carefull – the roads in north part of country can be horrible. Stick to the main ones if you don’t want to push bikes for a few days :P
Lukasz